


partners

by enamuko



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: F/M, Fic for Art Trade
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-18
Updated: 2018-04-18
Packaged: 2019-04-24 17:30:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14360208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enamuko/pseuds/enamuko
Summary: Mummymon is concerned about Arukenimon, who seems to have lost some vital 'spark' since they've returned from the dead. He receives advice from an unlikely source.





	partners

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CherishKiki747](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherishKiki747/gifts).



> Written for my buddy in exchange for some lovely art. :) Hope you enjoy it, hon!

“Do you mind if we make a stop here, darling?”

Mummymon peered at Arukenimon from the corner of his eye. Normally she would say something snarky about his use of a pet name, but she barely stirred, as though she hadn’t even _heard_ him.

Mummymon sighed as he turned off onto the side road leading to the small town in the distance. Ever since they had… _come back_ , Arukenimon had seemed to lose all her passion and vitality! Where once she would have yelled at him for calling her ‘darling’, or snarked at him for getting them lost (even though they had no actual destination to stray from) or come up with some insult about the little town… now she was so docile, and hardly ever insulted anyone or anything, especially him!

He missed the old Arukenimon.

The little town was dusty, dingy, and out of the way—exactly like half a dozen other little towns they had passed through on their journey already. He had forgotten how much of the Digital World seemed to be desert—or perhaps it just seemed like that now that they couldn’t easily pass from the Digital World back to the human world, and then choose their next destination. They actually had to do things the hard way now!

(Though it was convenient enough for someone who owned a dune buggy, he supposed.)

He pulled up to a dusty convenience store. A disinterested Gazimon barely looked up from her magazine at the sight of him and went back to sipping at a soda.

“I’ll be just a moment, my dear,” he said, looking for any sign of a reaction. “Would you like me to get you anything?”

“Just water,” she said while waving him off, with none of her usual irritability or moodiness. It was as though she were an entirely different person…

He went into the convenience store with that thought plaguing him. When they had first come back—by means he didn’t quite understand, but certainly wasn’t going to complain about—Arukenimon had been her usual self. She had gone off about that horrible MaloMyotismon, raving about what had happened to them—

And then they found out what had happened to the boss.

And suddenly Arukenimon had gotten a lot quieter than she usually was.

Still in a thoughtful daze, he quietly paid for his purchases, then returned to the car. He handed Arukenimon her bottle of water and tucked the rest of their ‘supplies’ away, and climbed back into the car without either of them saying a word…

They drove on in similar silence through the sleepy little desert town, Mummymon driving slowly, since many of the Digimon didn’t seem to be used to cars and took some time to move out of his way. It was nearing night when they reached the outskirts of the village—and, conveniently, a little roadside inn. Nights out in the desert could get terribly cold, after all…

“What do you think, Arukenimon? Shall we stay here for the night?”

He always asked, though he knew he wouldn’t get a proper answer; as always, Arukenimon simply grumbled and waited for him to do as he pleased.

It was so odd—Arukenimon had always been the one to give the orders and make the decisions. At first, Mummymon had been at a loss for what to do without Arukenimon’s guidance, but he had adjusted—it wasn’t like their lives were exactly complicated these days. Mostly they just… drove, going from place to place, not stopping anywhere for longer than they needed to.

Mummymon didn’t know where they were going, if they were even going anywhere—he just knew that they didn’t have any place of their own, and moving forward was better than nothing.

He pulled in to the sandy lot next to the inn and parked close to the door. He got out of the car and opened Arukenimon’s door for her, offering her his hand to help her out; she ignored it and climbed out on her own without saying a word.

Mummymon watched her walk towards the door, and wondered… what was he going to do?

 

* * *

 

It wasn’t the nicest place they’d ever stayed in, but it wasn’t the worst either, and it was a lot better than sleeping in the bucket seats of the dune buggy. Mummymon carried the paper bag of things he’d bought at the convenience store earlier, setting it down on the rough wooden vanity that took up most of the far wall.

“I’m taking a shower,” Arukenimon announced as soon as she stepped inside, and went straight to the bathroom.

“Enjoy—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, the door shut and locked, leaving him talking to thin air. He sighed and removed his hat, coat, and boots, turning down one of the two single beds—which looked like it would be too short for him, so he would have to sleep with his legs hanging off the edge, but that was just life as usual for someone his size…

Something outside of the window caught his eye as he raided their supplies for a nighttime snack. Something small and brightly colored, almost glowing…

He opened the window and a small, rainbow-colored butterfly fluttered inside. Mummymon stared in confusion as it stopped right in front of his face before landing daintily where his nose would be (if he had one).

The strange little thing stayed there for several long moments, with Mummymon not even _breathing_ since he didn’t want to scare it away, before leaving out the window the way it had come in. Mummymon watched it fly off into the night, transfixed until it was completely out of sight…

Mummymon blinked in confusion. Somehow, the small encounter had brought him a strange sense of peace… if only it had given him the answers he was looking for…

Oh well. Perhaps a good night’s rest would finally bring him the clarity of mind he was looking for…

 

* * *

 

" _Hello, Mummymon.”_

_He blinked a few times to clear his eyes, but it didn’t really help. Everything around him seemed blurry and out of focus, like he was looking at it through a pair of smudged up goggles. It was practically giving him a headache!_

_“I’m glad to see you’re okay.”_

_Mummymon looked around to see who was talking to him. It wasn’t easy, what with the world being all fuzzy and dream-like—but by comparison,_ he _was crystal clear._

_“B-Boss!”_

_Oikawa was sitting at a table in the middle of the strangely blurry room. He was healthier than Mummymon had ever seen him—or, at least, he looked more like the other humans he had seen, less grey and gaunt like himself. He had colour in his pale face and looked like he’d actually eaten in the past month._

_It was very impressive, especially considering that, as far as Mummymon knew, he was_ dead _._

 _“What are you—I thought you were—” He stumbled over his words, but only because he was excited beyond_ words _to see him! “Boss, I’m so—”_

_Happy? Of course he was. He knew humans weren’t like Digimon—once they died, they were gone for good. Just like Oikawa’s friend Hiroki… and honestly, because he and Arukenimon were half human because of Oikawa, he was surprised that the two of them had come back like other Digimon. But for those same reasons, he was also—_

_“Confused?” Oikawa said, completing his thought for him. “Come, sit and talk with me for a while.”_

_He gestured to the other seat across from him, and Mummymon was happy to take it. Oikawa offered him a cup of tea and Mummymon gingerly took the cup in his oversized hand and took a sip. It was fragrant and sweet, although the taste seemed… off. Muted, almost, as though…_

_“Am I dreaming right now?” He looked around at the blurry surroundings and the tasteless tea, and couldn’t think of any other explanation._

_“You are,” Oikawa said, frowning. “I wish I could come see the two of you in person, but I’m afraid… I’m not strong enough for that yet.”_

_Mummymon nodded, although he wasn’t sure he understood. He knew he was asleep, but… Oikawa didn’t feel like a dream, at least, and that was what was important._

_“Well, it’s good to see you again,” Mummymon said, although it was the understatement of the century. He had so many questions, but it was hard to put any of them into words…_

_“Likewise. After what happened with MaloMyotismon, I was scared for the two of you…”_

_Mummymon wanted to say he didn’t have to worry about them, but since he’d been doing nothing_ but _worry about Arukenimon all this time, he would have felt like a hypocrite…_

_“I know you’re worried about her.”_

_Mummymon looked up from his tea and blinked. It was like Oikawa had read his mind—and Mummymon wouldn’t put it past him. Oikawa always seemed to just_ know _things, even things he had no real way of knowing…_

 _“I’ve been trying to help,” he said, dragging his finger around the rim of his cup. “But I don’t really know_ how _to help. She just… misses you, I think. Even more than I do.”_

_Which made him feel guilty that he was the one here talking to him and not her… if anyone deserved it, it was Arukenimon, and she would probably understand what was going on a lot better than he did…_

_“I created her to be a leader,” Oikawa said, sounding almost…_ sad _, as he said it. “Someone who could execute my vision while I wasn’t around, or_ couldn’t _be around. But without any sort of mission, she probably feels useless… without purpose.”_

_Oikawa sipped his tea, leaving Mummymon to consider his words. He had no reason to doubt him—the boss had always been the smartest person he knew, and if anyone knew Arukenimon well enough to say that sort of thing, it would be him._

_It was true—Arukenimon had always been the leader. From the moment they’d met, Mummymon had faithfully followed her every word, knowing that she had a much sharper mind than he did. But now… well, she didn’t have much of a reason to lead anymore, did she? Not when they were just wandering aimlessly, without much purpose at all…_

_“What can I do to help?”_

_That was the_ real _question. How could someone like_ him _make Arukenimon feel useful? He had always been the lackey, the chauffeur, the one who didn’t really_ have _ideas of his own—he simply worked as hard as he could to make sure the ideas of people smarter than him worked out._

_Oikawa sighed, setting his tea down. Mummymon didn’t like the look on his face._

_“I don’t know the answer to that, I’m afraid…” He turned his head and looked off into the distance, even though there was nothing around them but a strangely blurry-looking house. “I wish I did. It is my fault, after all…”_

_“No it isn’t!” The words left Mummymon’s mouth without him having a say in it at all—but he meant them, even if he didn’t mean to blurt them out so suddenly. “You were being controlled by that—that_ monster, _boss. It’s not your fault.”_

_Oikawa looked shocked by how forcefully he’d said it, but then he smiled._

_“I’ve always appreciated your faith in me and your support, Mummymon. And that’s exactly what Arukenimon needs from you right now. It’s what she’s_ always _needed from you. That’s why I made the two of you partners.” Oikawa reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. “She might be the leader, but she needs you just as much as you need her.”_

 _Mummymon considered his advice. Arukenimon_ needed _him? Well, he had always known he was **useful** to her, or else she wouldn’t give him the time of day, but she’d always made him very aware of the fact that she _ didn’t _need him._

_But it wasn’t like the boss to be wrong about something like that…_

_“I know she misses you, too. And I’m not sure there’s anything I can do to help that.”_

_Once again Oikawa looked startled by his sudden statement, and Mummymon wondered again if he’d said something he shouldn’t have. He used to be able to tell most of the time if something he said would be out of line, but now that he knew that Oikawa had been possessed by MaloMyotismon that whole time, he didn’t know what was and wasn’t allowed…_

_But once again, the boss smiled. Only this time it seemed…_ sad _, somehow._

_“I wish there was more I could do. But I can’t… come back, quite yet. For a number of reasons…” He shook his head. “But I’ll be back soon. I promise. Until then—keep taking care of each other.”_

_Mummymon had so many more questions, so many more things he wanted to say, but he felt almost…_ dizzy _. The already blurry and sickening world around him started to spin, and waver, and fade…_

 

* * *

 

Mummymon blinked. Where he’d just been in a brightly lit and colorful, albeit fuzzy and indistinct room, now he was staring at a ceiling in a very _real_ but very dark room. It took him a moment to realize he was back in the little room he and Arukenimon had rented.

A dream… He had known it had been a dream. The boss had said as much, when he’d asked him. But it had felt so real that he almost expected to look around and see him sitting there, clear as day. But as he sat up, his eyes adjusting to the darkness, he clearly wasn’t there.

He turned to look at Arukenimon. She had her back turned to him and was sleeping peacefully in the other bed. Since hers was closer to the window, the moonlight streaming in was making her hair almost _glow_ , and he was struck—as he often was—by just how beautiful she was.

It was hard to imagine Arukenimon _needing_ him, even a little bit. Oh, he had saved her from the DigiDestined, and she certainly couldn’t be everywhere at once, and he had always been the one driving, but _need_? Surely someone else could do those things for her.

But Oikawa had never been wrong before…

He sat there and watched Arukenimon for some time. She looked so at peace, it was hard to imagine her in the malaise that she’d been in since they’d come back from the dead…

Eventually, sleep started to overtake him again, and he laid back and let it. It wasn’t as though this problem was going to be solved before sunrise, after all…

 

* * *

 

Mummymon carefully counted out the money for the inn keeper, while keeping ‘one eye’ (metaphorically speaking, since that was all he _had_ ) on the jeep. Normally this would be the point where Arukenimon started leaning on the horn, telling him to hurry up, but she was just sitting there staring off into the distance.

When he got into the driver’s seat, carefully stashing their previous day’s purchases behind the front bucket seats, he felt strangely… _shy_. Though he still had no idea what to do, he’d come out of his conversation with Oikawa the night before feeling like he could surely do _something_ , if he had so much faith in him.

Now, though… now that confidence had disappeared, and he was left starting the car silently and pulling out of the parking lot, awkwardly peeking at Arukenimon out of the corner of his eye.

Mummymon pulled back onto the highway with no idea where they were going. It seemed like things were just going to go back to how things were before—although it was weird to think of it as _before_ , since it was just yesterday.

Then, he spotted it.

He shouldn’t have noticed it. It was just a butterfly on a flowering bush—rare in the desert, but nothing that should have attracted his attention at the speed they were going. But _something_ about that butterfly definitely _did_ capture his attention, and he slammed on the brakes.

Arukenimon cursed at the sudden stop, but Mummymon was almost transfixed by the sight of the butterfly. It had shimmering, pastel rainbow wings—just like the one that had appeared at the window the night before, when he’d had his dream meeting with the boss. Was this a sign?

“What do you think you’re _doing_?”

He startled out of his almost-trance. It felt like _so long_ since Arukenimon had last snapped at him like that… and he couldn’t have been happier to hear it.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” he said, trying to disguise how happy he was about her anger. Anger had always been Arukenimon’s default state, and it was much more encouraging to see her angry than it was to see her listless. “I suppose… I just realized I have no idea where I’m going.”

“Ideas never _have_ been your strong suit,” Arukenimon huffed from the passenger’s seat, crossing her arms. The insult warmed the cockles of his heart.

He thought, for a moment, about whether he should mention Oikawa’s visit. Would Arukenimon think he had lost his mind? Possibly, or maybe she would just ask why Oikawa had visited _him_ … he certainly made it sound like he hadn’t spoken with Arukenimon, but he couldn’t understand why.

Or maybe he _had_ just lost his mind. Who could tell? But either way, he supposed it didn’t _really_ matter…

He looked to Arukenimon expectantly. Not for the first time, he wished very hard that she would take charge and tell him where to go. Oikawa was right—she was the leader, he was the follower, and anything other than that simply felt _wrong_. But before now, she had always gone quiet, and he had stayed just as quiet, hoping that she would snap out of it on her own while he continued to wander aimlessly.

No more. Not when he knew the boss was relying on him to help Arukenimon when he couldn’t.

“So where should we go now, darling?” He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, staring at her intently.

“Does it matter?” she asked, annoyed but cooling off, slipping back into that malaise. Mummymon scrambled in his own mind to figure out what he could do next, what would get her to take the reins—and then it struck him.

“Well, I suppose I don’t mind being in charge for a while longer.”

The reaction took a little longer than he expected. Arukenimon took a moment to absorb exactly what he’d said, then turned and gave her a look that made it look like she’d just smelled something _awful_.

“Since when have _you_ been in charge?” she asked through gritted teeth.

“W-well, my dear,” he said, scared in spite of himself—Arukenimon’s anger was never a _pleasant_ thing. “I only mean to say that since you haven’t really been interested in taking charge, you have to admit, I’ve been taking the lead…”

He hunched his shoulders and dipped his head instinctually, watching Arukenimon from under his hat. She could get… _passionate_ when she was angry, and he was just waiting to see _how_ passionate she felt like being.

Much to his surprise (and relief), she simply crinkled her nose at him, gave him a THWACK on the back of the head (not even that heavy a hit, either), and settled back into her seat.

“I’ve just been distracted,” she said quite firmly. “Don’t go getting any _ideas_ about being able to think for yourself, or something. Now, keep driving. I’ll tell you when to stop.”

Arukenimon leaned back and crossed her arms, settling into that same disinterested pose as before, but now there was something… _different_. She still seemed listless, but some of that fire had come back into her belly, which was a start!

Mummymon smiled, unable to help himself, as he put the car into gear.

“Of course, my dear,” he said, still smiling as they continued on the desert highway. Where were they going? He had no idea, but with the old Arukenimon peeking through the depressed veil, it would be okay. He knew it would be.

High above the roads, a rainbow butterfly seemed to watch the car as it sped along.


End file.
